The Lagos State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has granted an ex parte application by the Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate, Gbadegbo Rhodes-Vivour, to serve Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu petition documents via his substitute. According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Rhodes-Vivour and his political party had alleged that Sanwo-Olu evaded service of the petition on him by the court's bailiff. They claimed that the governor refused to collect the document when the court official went to his office to serve him.
In the petition marked EPT/LAG/GOV/04/2023, Rhodes-Vivour and the Labour Party challenged the outcome of the March 18 governorship election and requested the nullification of Sanwo-Olu's re-election, with Rhodes-Vivour being declared the winner instead. They sought the court's permission to serve the petition and other processes on the governor and his deputy via substituted means, such as posting them through DHL courier services or any other recognized courier service company, to Sanwo-Olu's official residence at Lagos House, Marina, Lagos.
The granting of the ex parte application by the tribunal means that Rhodes-Vivour and the Labour Party can proceed with their petition and serve the necessary documents on Sanwo-Olu via his substitute. It remains to be seen how the case will progress and what the outcome will be, but this development marks an important step in the election petition process.
